Jay Hambly’s Adequan Advanced Championship cross country track exerted its influence today as 21 competitors tackled the top-tier questions he’d set out for them. With that, the leaderboard shuffles considerably, with clear, quick rounds rewarded with big leaps up in the standings.
Boyd Martin was the one to emerge atop the field, piloting Luhmühlen podium finisher Shanroe Cooley (owned by Dallas LLC) to the quickest round of the day, accumulating 8.8 time penalties to go onto a score of 40.1 ahead of show jumping on Friday evening. The 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding has been in fighting fit form as an alternate for the World Championships earlier this month, so Boyd knew he had a good, competitive run in the tank.
“I sort of let him run on gently a bit, knowing that he’s very, very fit at the moment, just because of the preparation we did in case we needed him for the [World Championships], and he gave me a fantastic round,” Boyd commented. “I’ve really gelled with him, and we’re just on the same page now through the cross country. He shows a lot of grit and determination –we stumbled into the ditch at the coffin, and I thought it was the end of me, and he shuffled his steps and jumped out over C like a champion.”
Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Sally Spickard.
“Dallas” is a former Liz Halliday ride, and Liz has been here throughout the week cheering Boyd on. As Liz works toward her next career move in para dressage, Boyd’s actually heading over to watch her ride at her home base here in Lexington this afternoon.
In terms of Jay Hambly’s course, Boyd shared his thoughts: “He used a lot of the five-star fences, so it’s pretty big, and you know, if I had to be critical, the beginning part wasn’t that friendly. It was a little bit twisty and turny, and there was a lot of trouble early on in the course. I felt like he could have been nicer to us just letting the horses settle in, but it’s a championship course and a lot of prize money on the line, and so it needs to be a high level of standard, and it took some riding, but it was sort of a four-and-a-half star, in my opinion.”
Indeed, there was a considerable amount of trouble earlier on in the course, particularly at the first combination, which was a water complex at 5AB. Overnight leaders Laine Ashker and Lovedance came to grief here — Laine shared on social media later that she’d taken her leg off before the B and “Lottie” didn’t quite read the question, causing a drive-by. A handful of other riders had similar problems here, and one (Rory Frangos and DHI Rocketman) opted to retire at this question.
Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Lindsay Berreth/USEA.
A couple of riders who were able to secure clear rounds jumped significantly up in the standings. One of those is 2026 Wilton Fair Grant recipient Maya Clarkson with her own Maks Mojo C, who enjoyed one of their best dressage tests yesterday and jumped a strong clear to move up from 12th into second on a score of 43.1. Maya’s still formulating her fall plans, having undergone hip surgery earlier this year and abbreviating her spring season to recover, but this run has set her up well for whatever comes next.
I was out walking some of the cross country with Maya earlier this week, and she spent some time walking the Normandy Mound question at fence 10, which was set on a sort of S turn with three related questions on terrain. She got some help from some fellow riders and by today felt more confident in the question — which did cause some trouble for other riders today. “I mean, he’s such a good horse,” she told me. “My plan was just to give him a good ride around. He’s a really fast horse. He’s super rideable — he goes in a leather snaffle on cross country, and takes very little to set up for the fences. He was one of the quicker times, but I didn’t really try to go super fast. The jumps are big enough to back them off, so I was trying to just have like a confident round and really set him up well for the rest of his fall season.”
Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Sally Spickard.
And the flatwork is coming — it wouldn’t be “Maks’” strongest phase, but thanks to some ongoing help from Maya’s coach Lauren Nicholson, the strength and balance is improving as time goes on. “I think like three weeks ago he like learned how to trot fancy!” she laughed. “And I’m not really sure where it came from, but it’s a really cool thing. I was so proud of him, honestly. In the past too, he’s been one that can sometimes melt down in the ring a little bit. We actually had like a couple of mistakes too, so I was obviously frustrated about that, but really thrilled with the fact that the test was so much better — the quality, everything was so much better, and there’s still room for improvement.”
Katie Lichten and Hickstead Musterd. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Katie Lichten owns two spots in the top five after cross country, in third with Hickstead Musterd and fifth with HTS Jensen R. These two horses are among Katie’s first to have at the level; she previously rode her sister’s horse to the level, but these — primarily HTS Jensen R — would be the first she’s done most of the producing on. She now rides with Phillip Dutton, who’s helped her with both horses and, in particular, the quick footwork that’s needed to produce solid cross country rounds.
Hickstead Musterd started his career as a show jumping before going on to reach the four-star level of eventing with New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell. Katie’s had the ride since 2025 and hit a high point at MARS Bromont this spring, where they finished fourth in the CCI4*-L.
“He’s a really good cross country horse, but he does get a little backed off, and he can really balloon and jump high over the jumps,” Katie described of “Muzzie.” “And he’s not always the most quick-footed with terrain questions. He’s like 17.3 hands or something, so he almost sometimes feels like he goes into a little bit of slow motion. So we’ve just been kind of working on quickening up his footwork.”
Katie Lichten and Hickstead Musterd. Photo by Sally Spickard.
That footwork, she says, comes from a focus on repetition when schooling. Based in Pennsylvania, she frequents Boyd Martin’s Windurra USA base, which has a strong coffin complex that really encourages quick feet. “And Phillip just really emphasizes the position and having the horse in the right canter for each of the questions, and so I think that has given Muzzie more confidence. [Phillip has been great] for my confidence on the cross country too, and I think that’s really translated to the horses. I’m not always 100 perfect, but I feel like now they trust me enough to help me out when I need it, and then I try to tell them they’re good boys and then move on and give them confident rides.”
Hickstead Musterd goes onto a two-phase score of 44.1, with HTS Jensen R in fifth on a 45.2.
Mary Bess Davis and Imperio Magic. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Mary Bess Davis put her down bank demons to rest with Imperio Magic today; she’s come to the Defender Kentucky CCI5* the last two years and had trouble at the big down bank in the back portion of the course. Jay Hambly used this complex, crafting a very similar question to what we saw this spring at the five-star, and Mary Bess had a game plan to put the past troubles behind her once and for all. It’s not that “McColl” is a spooky horse — he’s insanely brave, as she describes, but he is careful.
“I just thought, ‘oh, it surprised him because I came too quick at it,’” she said of the past issues at the bank. In preparation for this weekend, she spent some extra time schooling similar types of questions. “He’s such a careful horse. I it’s a little unsettling to him, so we just sat there and we went down the banks until he was happy and confident. And I think it really made a difference today.”
Which ticks off her primary goal — redemption — and sets her up well for a run at the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park in October. She’s also coming off a leg injury herself, sustained when she fell from Imperio Magic after a fence on cross country at Kentucky, resulting in a broken fibula and a nasty stud puncture wound that took a couple months to heal. Luckily, the timing worked out okay to bring McColl back for this event and the fall season.
“I know how amazing he is, and I know what a partnership we have, and I just feel like we’ve just been a small bit off from being very successful last year,” Mary Bess elaborated. “So it was a good day for him. I feel really, really excited about the future because his dressage is getting stronger too.”
Mary Bess will take a score of 44.3 and fourth place into tomorrow evening’s show jumping finale.
USEA AEC, $60,000 Adequan Advanced Final, and ATC Finals (KY): [Website] [Schedule] [Program] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [USEA AEC App] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
Many thanks to Ride EquiSafe, Freejump (both here on site at the Ride EquiSafe trailer on the back side (facing the barns) of Vendor Row!) and the American Connemara Pony Society for their support of EN’s 2026 AEC coverage!
Thursday at #AEC2026
Boyd Martin and Fetiche des Rouges. Photo by Sally Spickard.
I’ll update this article with both a final leaderboard list at the end of the day, as well as additional links to our friends at the USEA’s coverage from today. Keep scrolling for a few social media updates from today, and again I’ll update this article with more later on as we’re still in the throes of competition this afternoon and have the Intermediate show jumping to conclude the evening later.
USEA #AEC2026 Coverage
Photo by Sally Spickard.
Instagram Round-up: Thursday at #AEC2026
